Four members of San Diego City Councilmembers are adding their voices to the national debate over illegal immigration by proposing a resolution that supports legal status for children of illegal immigrants through military service or higher education and a system that tracks expired visas among other things.
San Diego City Councilmembers Kevin Faulconer, Mark Kersey, Lorie Zapf, and Scott Sherman outlined their positions Monday.
“Immigration has a direct and tangible impact on the San Diego-Tijuana border,” Kersey was quoted in a written news release. “Decisions on reform may be made in Washington, D. C., but the impact of those decisions will be felt locally...”
The proposal supports allowing undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. to earn legal status.
It also calls for an entry-exit system that will track people entering the U.S. on non-immigrant Visas to ensure they are no longer living in the U.S. once their visas have expired.
The councilmembers also want to see employers held more accountable for hiring illegal immigrants and a better system to stop document falsification.
The proposal would ask Congress to ensure adequate staffing at ports of entry like San Ysidro and Otay Mesa to screen those entering at the U.S. while at the same time keeping wait times low.
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The councilmembers are asking the full council to approve their proposal at the March 20th rules committee meeting and send a copy to President Barack Obama and local Congressional leaders.
